Coconut oil doesn't work for me. My hair usually responds to thicker oils. The only oils capable of helping me detangle are olive and castor so far.
Okay, I'm really feeling you on the castor oil bit!
I didn't think any oil would help me detangle, but the other night, I slathered castor oil on my sectioned hair, and the next morning, my hair was so soft, I decided to test my luck and detangle with only the oil on my hair. Whew! I couldn't believe how the comb just GLIDED through my hair. I detangled dry too! I haven't touched my dry hair since I found this forum 3 years ago.
I'm going to try this again next detangling session.
OP: I LOVE coconut oil, but I've never tried to detangle with it. I'd think it would be too light. I can't recommend castor oil yet because I've only detangled with it once, but I'd try that if coconut oil doesn't work out for you.